NEW DELHI - Keeping the issue of Prime Ministerial candidate on the back-burner, 11 Left and secular parties on Feb 25 came together claiming to be the alternative and vowed to defeat both Congress and BJP. The announcement was made after an hour-long meeting here of the leaders of JD(U), Samajwadi Party, AIADMK, JD(S), Jharkhand Vikas Morcha and four Left parties. The 11-party combination also came out with a joint declaration which said...
“it is time for a change and to throw out the Congress from power... The BJP and the communal forces must be defeated and prevented from coming to power.” The meeting was also attended by Deve Gowda (JD-S), veteran CPI leader A B Bardhan, M Thambidurai (AIADMK), T G Chandrachoodan (RSP), Debabrata Biswas (Forward Bloc), Sitaram Yechury (CPI-M), K C Tyagi (JD-U), S Sudhakara Reddy (CPI). However, representatives of Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) were conspicuous by their absence, though Karat said the chiefs of both these parties—Prafulla Kumar Mahanta and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik—had expressed support to the initiative. The joint declaration said the leaders of the 11 parties have resolved to work together for strengthening the democratic framework, ending corruption and ensuring accountability in government. They also promised to provide “a people-oriented developmental path which addresses the concerns of inequality, social justice, farmers’ interests, minorities and women’s rights”. The parties spoke of reversing the centralizing model at the Center, creating a true federal system so that all states’ rights are assured, including special category status for states which deserve it. (PTI)
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